The Success Pact
by Ithaca Smartie
Summary: Maximum Ride has dreamed of being a teacher her entire life and graduates college with high hopes. Fast forward a year later and she has no job and lives with her mom. But when the richest family on the east coast is looking for a nanny , Max doesn't hesitate to apply. Too bad things aren't always as easy as they seem, especially on OK magazine covers... Rated T. Max/Fang AH/AU


**Title: **The Success Pact

**Author:** Ithaca Smartie

**Rating:** High T (just in case)

**Genre(s): **Romance/Family/Humor

**Pairing: **Fang/Max

**Beta: **Unicorns. Bubbles. AWESOMENESS!

**Disclaimer: **All Maximum Ride refernces and material belongs to James Patterson. The plot and any other characters belong to me.

* * *

I stare at the cold, hard marble stairs in front of me before shooting a pleading look at Iggy and Nudge in the car. Of course, Nudge (being Nudge) had to play the _"I'm Pregnant" card_ and put her hand on her protruding belly with a fake faint look on her face. I saw her say something to a worried Iggy and faster than I could say "get me out of this hell hole," they were gone.

_Good-for-nothing traitors._

I raise my fingers up to my temples and slowly rub in circles, taking a deep breath and trying to remember the breathing technique from one of my mom's many yoga lessons. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Unfortunately, the lady standing in front of me did not appreciate being huffed on by some "immature girl" and decided to give me a piece of her mind.

I bit back my responses after this lady's snarky, two-minute agonizing mini-speech on how I was ruining her precious hair and how I was acting like a little child. And she called _me_ immature.

After several minutes of anxious foot-tapping, pacing and, yes, breathing, a short lady with long black hair and cold, calculating eyes called my name. I had to be a good four to five inches taller than her, but that didn't stop the intimidation I felt as she stared up at me. Her pale blue eyes looked like they saw right past everything, like anyone planning on lying could just get the hell out now 'cause she could see through all of your lies. And she wouldn't hesitate to hurt you when she did.

I could see why the Romano's gave her the job.

"Are you Maximum Ride?" she asks sharply. Her voice was surprisingly soft, light and airy, despite the cold vibe she gave off. But there was an edge to it too, like you could easily provoke her and she wouldn't hesitate to do anything in defense. Needless to say, she was the scariest woman I had ever met in my entire life.

And that's saying something.

Her impatient cough shook me out of my thoughts and I let out a squeak resembling a "Yes."

She rolled her eyes at my obvious fear and let out a little snort. I heard her mutter something about stage names and crazy parents. Obviously, I got that a lot.

"My name is Olivia White and I'll be interviewing today," she said. "Please follow me to the conference room."

I tried to keep up with her quick pace as we navigated through hallway after hallway, finally coming to an abrupt stop next to a wooden door. I gulped. It reminded me of the principal's office door I saw almost every other day in high school. Being a good prankster meant you had to face the consequences, and most of the time the consequences ended up with trash duty for an entire week. High school students are the most nauseating creatures to live on the face of the earth.

"Would you please come in and shut the door behind you, Ms. Ride?" She asked in a clipped tone. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm on a tight schedule and I need to ask you a few questions before my 10:30 appointment."

I walked in quickly after her and shut the door behind me before plopping myself down on a small couch. The room was awfully spacious and the color was a welcoming spring green, but nothing could make me feel comfortable under the cold stare of the Ice Queen sitting across from me.

She finally broke the awkward silence with a quick opening of her notepad and a clearing of her throat.

"So, Ms. Ride," she began slowly, "May I ask how old you are and what you do for a current occupation?"

I straighten my back and answer with my own leveled stare.

"I happen to be 27, and I'm currently unemployed."

She raises an unimpressed eyebrow and jots down something on her notepad. Maybe if I could just get a peek…

"And what makes you think you're better than the five hundred people also applying for this job?"

I take a deep breath and try not to take offense at her accusing tone. She was just doing her job.

"Well, Ms. White, I believe that I'm suited for this job because of my education and my love for kids." She writes down a few more things and signals for me to continue.

"I went to Michigan State for my college education, as you can see in my resume. I spent four years as an undergraduate and graduated magna cum laude at the age of 26. I also earned a bachelor's degree in teaching and math. I'm hoping to work on a master's degree as soon as I get settled with a job."

I cleared my throat and continued. "As for my love of children… well, I've loved them since I was a kid myself. I always loved to babysit the kids in my neighborhood when I was little, and my love for children's innocence and their view of the world just grew over time. I'd love to be a teacher; in fact, it's been my dream since I was little, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

Ms. White asks me a few more questions and I answer them with all the poise and dignity my mother shoved into me in the last week, occasionally spewing words I didn't know I even _knew_. Every so often I glanced at Ms. White to see her writing so fast she looks like she's having a seizure.

"Alright, Ms. Ride." she says as she finishes writing up her notes. "One more question and you may go."

She takes in a deep breath and for a moment she looks almost… annoyed?

"As much as the Romano family loves their children, they can be a bit… spoiled. Because of this, nannies have been walking in out of these doors for months. It's the main reason we're being so precautious."

I nod slowly, not very sure where this was going.

"Due to the amount of nannies we've had, Mr. and Mrs. Romano have decided to take a different approach to this situation. For now on, any nannies that meet the expectations are to meet and play with the children for an entire day, under surveillance of course. And I must say, Ms. Ride, I was awfully impressed by your speaking and presentation skills. It clearly shows how much you love children."

I grin in pride and mutter a polite thank you.

"But," she says, making me drop my smile, "we must see how you are with the children. Does this Saturday sound alright with you?"

I look up at the ceiling and pretend I'm thinking about my not existent schedule before saying, "Yes, I'm free that day." _Like you're not free every other day…_

"Well then, Ms. Ride," Olivia says, standing up abruptly as I stand up with her. "It has been nice meeting you. I'll see you at the Romano estate on Saturday, 7 o'clock sharp. Directions will be emailed to you later in the week. If not, give me a call."

And with that she leaves and shuts the door behind her, leaving me grinning so widely my mouth starts to cramp. I fist pumped happily before pulling out my cell phone to text Nudge.

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_A/N: Hey guys! It's Ithaca. Don't know if you guys remember me, but long, long ago I wrote a little fanfic called The Success Pact and deleted it due to terrible writing. Promised you guys a re-write in a week and… total fail. Took me three months to even start it. Sorry. This chapters a bit bland, but I need it. Please keep reading. Not the best idea to start off with a boring chaper but...hope you guys enjoy. Love to my beta, Bubbles! Check out her stuff, she's amazing!_

_ Any other questions can be addressed through PM or reviews. Give some love in the reviews!_

**B/N: **Yo, it be Bubbles, as in Unicorns. Bubbles. AWESOMENESS! Well, Ithaca and I finally started on this wonderful rewrite of hers, and I have to say, it's coming along very nicely….heh. Review for mah Ithaca Smarty-Pants!


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